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Sainsbury's revealed on Tuesday evening it was consulting with staff over plans that will see a number of senior in-store posts slimmed down and replaced by fewer management roles.

Affected staff, thought to run into the thousands nationwide, will be given the choice of applying for the new roles, accepting a more junior position or facing redundancy consultation.

Sainsbury's supermarket in Barnett Way in Barnwood, Gloucester

Sainsbury’s said the changes were “designed to meet the challenges of today’s retail environment” and would result in more “efficient” structure.

“We’re proposing a store management structure that will deliver best in class leadership and, in many cases, will offer an improved reward package for new management roles,” said Simon Roberts, retail and operations director of Sainsbury’s.

“Our intention is not to reduce overall headcount as a result of these proposals.

“I appreciate this will be a difficult time for those affected and we will fully support our people through these changes.”

Bev Clarkson, the acting national officer for food and drink for the union Unite, said: “This is very bad news for those dedicated workers affected by the planned job losses.

“Unite will be seeking guarantees from the management during the 45-day consultation period that there will be no compulsory redundancies for our members.

"We appreciate that Sainsbury's has a good record of redeployment of staff in these situations and we will be exploring every avenue to ensure the continuing employment for our members.”